As for pro cycling: it dug a hole 40 years ago and has never got out. (but those who think drug use isn't as endemic in other major professional sports is ignorant. Cycling's finally faced up to it because of the dangers it's putting its own riders in.)

True.

No way would Shoaib or Asif would have gotten away as easy as they did, and if some of the anti-doping measures put in place by some of the teams applied to cricket, hell would break loose in CC (like a cricket body testing it's Test/ODI team the similar amount of times CSC does, which is between 800-1300 combined tests of all of their squad IIRC) or giving them a mandatory two year ban from all cricket, and then a further two years from all internationals (including Twenty20 ).

Beware the lollipop of mediocrity. Lick once and you suck forever...

RIP Fardin Qayyumi, a true legend of CW

Originally Posted by Boobidy

Bradman never had to face quicks like Sharma and Irfan Pathan. He wouldn't of lasted a ball against those 2, not to mention a spinner like Sehwag.

BTW Simoni won the Zonoclan, while Danilo Di Luca is set to win the Giro and Frank Schlek's younger brother Andy has moved up to second spot overall. Cunego's 2004 Giro win is looking like a fluke for mine at this stage, although he is only 25 and has plenty of time.

I won the Giro on Cycling Manager 3 with Vinokourov by 1 second from Tyler Hamilton.

Hahaha how did you manage that? Go down to a time trial?

Thinking about doing that and trying to win it with Valverde or Mayo. My game is weird though, Georg Totsching leading the race just towards the end of the Pyrennes, with only the stage into Pau to go (haha that rhymes), with Ivan Basso and Roberto Heras in 2nd and 3rd place respectively while Ullrich, Evans, Vino, Kloden, Valverde, Mancebo are well down on overall time and Iban Mayo was a long time leader of the race. I thought once Heras left US Postal he became a pie eater, except for the Vuelta where he drugged up there

I was about 49 seconds ahead going into the time trial on the last stage. Hamilton has amazing TT skills, certainly about 8 points more than Vino, and pegged it back to only a second. Also had Cadel Evans finish third and he also won the points jersey, Guerini won the mountains jersey and T-Mobile won the team comp by over an hour.

That was so stupid though really, because Landis didn't give a flying fish about the breakaway Pereiro was in, he had to take drugs in order to win a race he was about to lose because of his own tactics.

I can understand CSC no chasing because of Voigt being in the break, but T-Mobile and Rabobank should have gone up the front. IMO T-Mobile should have won even after losing Ullrich and Sevilla. If not they should have capped it at 15 minutes though. Shows the difference with and without Lance Armstrong, as obviously the move would have been chased down straight away, or least get so far (remember what happened in 2001 when they let a break get too much time?)

And I see Zabel has paid his team back with two stage wins in the Bayern Rundfarht (Which translates to Tour of Bayern/Bavaria right?),

Yeah spot on with the translation. Reckon he should still be racing or should get banned for it? I'm not really too fussed about it because it was 11 years ago, but he has got away with it if you take that view basically. Pretty sure that if Rijs was doping in 1996 then Ullrich was in 1997 though.

Yeah spot on with the translation. Reckon he should still be racing or should get banned for it? I'm not really too fussed about it because it was 11 years ago, but he has got away with it if you take that view basically. Pretty sure that if Rijs was doping in 1996 then Ullrich was in 1997 though.

I have a lot more respect for Zabel, then say Landis, Basso ("I was going to dope, but I didn't. And he got me at a moment of weakness" - despite winning the Giro by over 9 minutes , is there something else your not saying Ivan?) or Michele Scarponi.

I think it is very much a case of double standards from ASO boss Patrice Clerc saying he doesn't want Bjarne Riis at the Tour, despite a certain Richard Virenque being allowed to start and was and is a national hero, yet somebody like Armstrong is condemmed for no reason. Do you read the letters section on cyclingnews? Some good ideas being passed.